To See her Smile
by Fiaea
Summary: One-Shot. A friend comforts Kaoru by the river with the fireflies. (Please dont kill me)
1. Sanosuke

**To See Her Smile**

A/N:  ::ducks for cover:: I know . . . I know . . . It sucks. I wrote this tonight. I haven't sent it to my wonderful beta, I haven't even really sat and thought this through like I normally do my stories. Everything you see here is exactly how I wrote it the first time. I'm afraid that if I go back and start changing things, it will get even worse. So take it for what its worth, a one-shot that I wrote, while trying to get the bug about this coupling out of my system. It didn't work though. After I post this I am going to begin working on my original idea for this couple, which will be a rather, long, drawn out deal . . . with that said, I'm sorry. Please don't hurt me. (Yes, I'm still working on Bended Shadows, I'll have the next chapter off to the beta in a day or so . . .)

Disclaimer: I don't own `em. This I make no money off this. I write only to maintain my own sanity . . .

~~~~*~~~~

Its been six months today. Still no word. He's left before of course, on this mission, or that one. Countless times, he has said goodbye, and promised to return. He always has. Until now. He's never been gone longer than 2 months before, and even then, we never went more than 2 weeks without receiving some kind of word. 

She has been trying so hard to think positively. For me, for Yahiko. She tried to protect us, and in a way, she is right. As long as she insists he is coming home, and smiles, Yahiko will believe. But I'm not fooled, as much as I wish I were. 

In the second month, she withdrew in herself. Sure she still preformed her daily routine, but a lot of her spunk had left her. Then, as the weeks continued to go by, she suddenly came alive again, as if she finally had managed to convince herself. By the fourth month, everything still appeared the same on the outside, but I watched, day by day, the light fade from her eyes.

She hasn't hit me in months. Even when I insult her cooking, she just smiles that empty smile and fills my plate again. 

I can't stand it. I miss her.

She still isn't home. It's not like her to still be out alone after dark. Kenshin made her promise before she left, and she has followed his request to the letter. Until now.

I'm going to find her.  So I call out to Yahiko, that I'm taking a walk, and head out into the woods. I think I know where she will be. 

The fireflies, where she says goodbye.

As I walk closer, I hear the sobs, and stop walking. In all the time since he left, I've never seen, or heard her cry.

My heart feels like its breaking in two. 

As I step closer, standing just in the shadows, I can hear her talking.

She looks beautiful. She always does. 

I listen as she talks to her memory of Kenshin.

I feel tears running down my own cheeks.

I hate to see her like this, Broken. Every barrier she has carried around her for the last 6 months has fallen apart, and still she sits alone. She talks about trying to stay positive, about . . . .

She says she has no one to turn to. 

I feel a sharp pain in my chest. No one to turn to.

I'm here Jou-chan. You've seen me every day. I'm always here for you.

I'm amazed at the depth of the feeling I've developed over these past couple months. 

I might just kill him if I ever see him again. 

One for causing her this pain, for destroying her.

Two, because she will never look at me . . . the way she looked at him.

Then she starts talking about us, about us leaving her too.

I feel like my heart has been ripped out of me, and before I even realized that I had moved, I felt her tears on my shoulder, felt my arms wrapped around her, trying to will the pain away.

We just stand here, for minutes, hours, I don't even know. I don't know that anything exists outside of her.

"Jou-chan" I whisper softly as I lift her chin, and stare into her sad eyes. 

I could stay here forever, if only I could see her smile.

I don't seem to have control of my own body anymore, lost in her eyes, before I knew what happened, my lips were pressed against hers.

Oh God, what am I doing? 

As I pull away, I again find myself lost in those now confused blue eyes.

"I'll never leave you alone Kaoru"

She still looks surprised, but she smiles at me now. It's her real smile, the one that lights up the world. Then she brushes her hand across my cheek, wiping away my tears. 

"Thank you Sano." She whispers in my ear as I fold her tight against me once again. 

We sit by the river, my arms still wrapped around her, in silence for the longest time. 

I know that she will never love me, not like she loves him. But I can live with that. As long as I can see her smile.

She turns to face me, and brushes her hand across my face again. Suddenly her hand freezes, and she looks at me with an expression I can't describe. But it sends fireworks off in my head.

She leans closer to me, and I have to force myself to breathe. My heart is pounding through my chest as she kisses me again. 

She falls asleep in my arms here by river. 

I don't know when I fell in love with her, but I plan to do so again, every day, for the rest of our lives. 

So I gather her up in my arms, and carry her back home . . . .

_ As sad violet eyes watched them from the shadows . . . _


	2. Kenshin

**To See Her Smile: **Chapter 2

A/N: I know I said this was a one-shot . . . but at work this morning I started to think though what Kenshin had been thinking as he watched them. Then I got home and found "Kenshin Obsessed's" review asking for more, and I figured . . . why not. So here you go, Kenshin's thoughts as he thinks back to what he just witnessed between Kaoru and Sano. . . (This really is the end . . . for now at least)

~~~~*~~~~

From the shadows I watch as Sano carries the second love of my life away. How many men were lucky enough to have two? Two women that I loved, two women that loved me in return.

I threw them both away.

I heard her crying before I got here. Every sob tore me apart a little more. 

The one person who mattered most to me in this world, and in the end, all I was able to bring her was tears.

I could see Sano standing in the shadows, watching her as she talked to me. 

She didn't know that I could hear her. Every word wretched deep in my soul.

I wanted nothing more than to step forward and comfort her. Nothing was more impossible.

Jealousy slammed through me as Sano wrapped his arms around her. I could see his face in the moonlight. Sorrow and helplessness swam in his eyes as much as they do mine. 

I realized the moment before he kissed her, that he loved her too.

He promised to never leave her.

Oh Kaoru . . . how I wish I could have promised you the same. 

I know that half of you understood why I had to go, just as I know that the other half would never understand. 

Every time I left, after the first, I promised to return. You always smiled at me, and waved goodbye, here in this spot. 

I knew that every step I took broke your heart a bit further. But still, I went. 

You never asked me for anything except for me to stay by your side. 

I should have. Now, I've lost you forever.

It's been over five months since the incident, and it took me this long to build the courage to come back here.

I had to be sure you were alright. 

You looked at him with an odd expression. 

My heart broke as you raised your lips to his.

I have to accept the fact that I will never be able to hold you like he was.

I wish things had been different.

Then you fell asleep, held close in his arms.

I comfort myself with the knowledge that he can make you happy. I know he will protect you, and stand by your side, as I never did. 

I'm sorry that I didn't keep my promise Kaoru . . .

I know she will be alright now; our friends will help each through the pain when word finally comes.

Stupid really . . . the legendary assassin, the greatest swordsman of the revolution, killed by falling tree . . .

_[ Wee__. . . okay, I thought I needed to clarify, as I did a bad job of it in the story itself. That last line is the only part of the story that I actually had to think about, as my muse apparently decided to abandon the story at that point. So. When I meant was that Kenshin is dead. Not that he dies at that point. Basically he left for his fight, and on his way home, he had a stupid accident that killed him before he arrived. (that was the incident Kenshin was referring to earlier). So in other words, he was killed about 5 months before Kaoru and Sano met by the river. . . one of these days my muse will return to this story and I'll figure out how to let the last line reflect all that . .  but until then, Thank you all very much for your reviews and comments. : ) I'm glad you enjoyed it. Soon, my longer Sano/Kaoru fic will be posted, but I must finish 'Bended Shadows' first. ::bows:: ]_


End file.
